Natural light and administrative staff well-being in a local office

Abstract

The wellbeing of an individual is affected through both environmental issues as well as the experiences rendered over the years. Wellbeing significantly identifies the way people feel about themselves, the type of relationships they share with others, and the logic of purposefulness. Wellbeing also embraces the fact of having good mental and physical health, life fulfilment and the capability of managing stress levels (Davis,2019) [20]. Throughout the years, various studies have been conducted with respect to the relationship between architecture and a person’s wellbeing. Multiple studies show that the built environment surrounding an employee can affect their mental well-being (Thatcher and Milner, 2014) [5], work production (O'Neill, 2010) [4], and physical well-being. The aim of the dissertation is to make use of a local office environment as a case study and focus on the spaces allocated for employees. The research analyses the current conditions of natural light and how it affects the long-term wellbeing of workers. A qualitative study was used to the research study which includes subjective and objective analysis. The study also used the DIALux software program to analyse natural and artificial lighting that currently exists in the chosen local office spaces. The following four main themes were identified from the data collected: Mental Wellbeing; Physical Wellbeing; Office layout; Lack of space/Privacy. Upon analysing the data collected, it is evident that each individual needs to be heard to create environments which heal and improve the overall physical and mental wellbeing. Architects need to realise the power they hold and how their design can positively influence or negatively impact a person’s well-being. An architectural project designed for the community is one which considers a person’s true feelings and emotions and connects it with the built environment.